Final Will and Testament
by elliejelliebean
Summary: In the event of their mutual demise, Mr. Vernon L. Dursley and Mrs. Petunia E. Dursley request that their son, Dudley V. Dursley, be entrusted to the care of James and Lily Potter.


**In the event of their mutual demise, Mr. Vernon L. Dursley and Mrs. Petunia E. Dursley request that their son, Dudley V. Dursley, be entrusted to the care of **_James and Lily Potter_**. Their assets are to go to their son Dudley, to be made available to him upon his twenty-fifth birthday. For purposes relating directly to the funding of Dudley V. Dursley's education, funds may be removed from Dursley assets by **_Mr. and Mrs. Potter_** prior to this date. They understand that this is a lawfully binding contract. Signed,**

_Vernon Dursley Petunia Dursley_

Vernon didn't know.

After Dudley's birth, Petunia had insisted upon drawing up the document, even though Vernon certainly was not interested – "_If I planned on dying anytime soon I wouldn't have fathered a damn son in the first place!_" – and indeed seemed to view the signing of the document as acceptance of an early and tragic death.

But Petunia very rarely insisted upon anything, and this fact – in addition to the genuine affection he felt towards his wife – led Vernon to sign the document one morning at breakfast..._before_ they had decided on a caretaker.

They discussed it while Vernon read the paper and munched absentmindedly on the bacon Petunia had prepared.

"Mrs. Figg would do, but Lord knows she's a day from death herself," said Petunia, sitting ramrod straight at the table, still in her apron.

"It's simply got to be Marge, Petunia," replied Vernon dryly, only half-listening. But then he looked up from his paper, and said, looking directly into his wife's eyes, "She's the only…_real_…family we've got anymore."

"Course. Of course, Vernon. It'll be Marge."

Privately, though, Petunia thought that she would entrust her son to the care of her husband's alcoholic man-sister on the day Hell froze over.

_Her_ sister, though, was a wonderful mother. Petunia had seen Lily and little Harry at their mother's house before she died. Lily played with Harry constantly, held him close like it was the most natural thing in the world. She would randomly kiss his nose, always talking to her baby, carrying on conversations. She doted on Dudley, too, when Petunia let her.

"A _blonde_, are you, Dudley?" Lily had said. "Just like your Mummy!" Dudley had smiled and laughed and pulled at Lily's hair. "Yes," Lily said. "Auntie Lily has red hair. And it's a good thing your cousin Harry didn't get his Mummy's hair like you did—I don't fancy red hair would suit him. Do you, Dudley? No, you don't. Oh, no you don't!"

Dudley shook his head viciously, and Lily had laughed a loud, happy laugh. Little Dudley loved Lily.

At their mother's funeral, when Lily gave a speech about her parents and James came up to take over when Lily was too emotional to continue, Harry wailed throughout the church, loud, echoing cries that drowned out James's reading of Lily's words.

When they finally sat back down and reclaimed their son, he quieted immediately. In that same service, Dudley had struggled fitfully against his mother's hold, finally forcing Petunia to go outside and miss some of her mother's own funeral.

Petunia loved Dudley. But she was never _easy_ with him, like Lily was with Harry—for that matter, like Lily was with everybody. Petunia didn't talk to Dudley except to request things. She held him to get him from Point A to Point B. She played with him when she desperately needed him to stop crying.

Petunia harbored a great deal of resentment towards her sister, perfect, beautiful, _magical_ Lily. Lily was so special that Petunia wasn't even _allowed_ to part of her world. And since Petunia must be separate from the life that her _special_ sister got to live, Petunia liked to purposefully separate herself from that life, making it seem like _her_ choice that she didn't live a magical life. She rejected it so that it couldn't reject her.

But if Dudley was left to her sister, Petunia knew his life would be magical too. He, at least, would be allowed to be a part of it…Lily, if assigned to be his caretaker, would love him like she did her own son. Normally, Petunia might have worried about Dudley being raised in the magical world if he had no magical powers, but Petunia knew that Lily would make him feel special and wanted no matter what.

The night that Petunia deceived her husband and trusted her sister with her son, she slept fitfully. She was haunted by a stray thought that kept returning and returning because she fed it with her ample supply of self-loathing:

_My death would be the best thing that would ever happen to my son._

* * *

><p><em>In the event of their mutual demise, James and Lily Potter request that their son, Harry James Potter, be entrusted to the care of Sirius Black. All of their worldly possessions and funds are left to Harry James Potter, though Sirius Black may use them at his discretion to aid in raising Harry. They understand that this is a magically binding contract. Signed,<em>

_James Potter Lily Potter_

"Get out of my house," Lily snarled. She was absolutely frightening. Sirius's face colored and he turned and walked out the door as she had ordered. He had hardly ever been so subdued.

"We're revising our will," Lily said with finality, as James looked at her with trepidation. "Tomorrow, I swear to you, James Potter, we will do it. I don't want to hear any objections. Not a word."

"But Lily—" James started.

"NO!" Lily screamed, furious, her face the color of her hair, her face still wet with her tears. "I WILL NOT LEAVE OUR SON TO SIRIUS BLACK IF SIRIUS INSISTS ON PUTTING HIS LIFE…AND _YOUR_ LIFE, FOR MERLIN'S SAKE, IN JEOPORADY! I WILL NOT ENDANGER MY SON!" Lily was panting. James walked over to her and put his hands on her arms.

"Lily, I'm fine, we're safe—there was no harm done!"

Her voice was low again, ominous. James had always preferred yelling to this tone. "But there could have been, and you damn well know it, James Potter."

"Nobody knows about it except for you, Lily! Nobody! Who in their right mind would pay a stag any attention?"

"Oh yes, because there is nothing unusual about a stag hanging around with a dog! We are in hiding James, and it's for a bloody good reason! He's after us and you know it! How could you be so stupid?"

"It was reckless, I know, and I won't go out again."

"Even if you won't keep yourself safe for my sake," Lily continued, and there was hurt in her voice, "I thought you'd keep yourself safe for your son."

"Lily, it's not like that! I wasn't consciously being reckless…the danger…it just seems…_less_, somehow, when Sirius and I are together. We've been through so much and survived it all...I guess it just feels like the worst thing that could happen is that we'd be stuck with a month's detentions," he finished lamely, embarrassed.

"I get it. I do. Sirius makes people feel invincible. But it means that I won't let him raise Harry. I'm sorry, James. I love Sirius—you know I do. But Harry must be _safe_, James. You have to agree that that must be our number one priority!"

"My number one priority is that he's loved," James said, his voice quiet.

Just then, Sirius's owl flew in the window and dropped a scroll on Lily's head.

_Lils,_

_I heard you screaming at James as I left and you've got to know that I'm so sorry. We were reckless and stupid, and I know I shouldn't encourage him, and you're welcome to hit me all you like when you see me again. I'd rather you keep that frightening wand of yours stowed safely in your pocket, but I'll take whatever punishment you decide fits my crime. (Just saying, though, that physical violence is better for venting…and while your infamous bat bogey hex may be a much worse deal for me, it'd probably be less satisfying than, say, punching me might be)._

_All kidding aside, though, Lily, don't change your mind about me and Harry. I love that little guy so much, and you know that, and if you two were gone I reckon he'd be the most important—hell, he'd be pretty much the _only_ important thing to me, and I'd go to any lengths to keep him safe._

_I'd do anything for him like I'd do anything for you and James, and I promise to go to St. Mungo's tomorrow and get the part of my brain that deals with rational decision making checked out like you're always suggesting. _

_I am, in all of my (lovable?) idiocy, yours truly,_

_Sirius Black_

Lily wiped her eyes and fought a smile.

"Convincing, was he?" James asked.

"Eh," Lily said, but she was smiling, and James knew her anger was leaving. "Repeat after me," she commanded. "I am not invincible."

"I am not invincible."

"I will not listen to Sirius Black when he suggests something boneheaded."

"I will not listen to Sirius Black when he suggests something boneheaded."

"Instead, I will attempt to talk some sense into the idiotic man who could, one day, be a parent to our son."

"Instead, I will attempt to talk some sense into the idiotic man who could, one day, be a parent to our son."

Lily sighed. "Don't do that again, okay? I love you too much to lose you to your stupid marauder's pride."

James smiled. "For the millionth time, Love, I promise."

"Plus, your death would mean Harry is one step closer to having Sirius as a parent, and Merlin help him if that is the case…"

"I'm glad you've forgiven good old Padfoot. He means well, you know…"

"Oh, he is far from forgiven. I've just conceded that his complete and total adoration for Harry means that he'll probably be a pretty fantastic parent. Though I still think we ought to revisit the idea of my sister and Vernon as godparents…"

They laughed together, relishing the utter impossibility of their perfect, magical boy going to live in Petunia's unnaturally clean, charmless suburban house in Little Whinging.

* * *

><p><em>Your sister's will stipulates that Harry be entrusted to the care James's closest friend, Sirius Black. However, as he is the man who betrayed their whereabouts to Lord Voldemort and is currently on the run, he is obviously not a viable guardian for Harry.<em>

It was stupid, really. Petunia knew that Lily wouldn't have entrusted Harry to her.

But as she tried to make out the all-too-familiar long, loopy handwriting of Albus Dumbledore while the hand holding the letter was shaking desperately, she couldn't help but feel resentment.

She couldn't quiet her mental rants:

_I deceived my husband to make sure that my son would end up with her, but my too-good-for-everyone sister chose her husband's idiot best friend over her own flesh and blood. She _hated_ me...How could she not?_

And then, there it was, an errant, sad, resigned thought that startled her because it was tinged with a sadistic promise:

_Lily raising my son would be the best thing that would ever happen to Dudley; me raising Lily's son will be the worst thing that will ever happen to Harry._

* * *

><p><strong>In the event of their mutual demise, Mr. Dudley V. Dursley and Mrs. Lorraine H. Dursley request that their daughters, Miss Cassandra P. Dursley and Miss Deanna L. Dursley, be entrusted to the care of Harry J. Potter and Ginny M. Potter.<strong>

**Signed, **

_Dudley Dursley Lorraine Dursley_

* * *

><p><em>In the event of their mutual demise, Mr. Gregory S. Thomas and Mrs. Lily L. Thomas request that their son, Harry A. Thomas, be entrusted to the care of <em>Mr. Sterrin D. Finnigan and <em>Mrs. Cassandra P. Finnigan._

_Signed,_

_Greg Thomas Lily Luna Thomas_

A/N: Hope you enjoyed, hope you review, and hope you have a fantastic day!


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